Hurricane Season 2024

Proposed rate increases that could have taken effect Jan. 1 for customers of the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. remain unresolved — with any hikes now unlikely to hit customers’ bills for months.The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has not ruled on the proposal, which the Citizens Board of Governors approved in June. The proposal, for example, could lead to an average 13.5 percent rate increase for the most-common type of Citizens policy, known as homeowners’ multi-peril coverage.

For years the city was eking by, but now has made substantial gain in appeasing the feds

Sarasota County will get a new $210,094,000 allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery to assist with recovery and mitigation efforts from Hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton and Tropical Storm Debby.The county created the Resilient SRQ program in 2023 to support Hurricane Ian recovery from the prior allocation of $201,535,000 in CDBG-DR funding. It assists the community in rebuilding homes, repairing infrastructure and addressing unmet needs from Hurricane Ian.

2024 had a series of weather extremes and once in a lifetime events. Here is a look back at the top weather events of 2024.

Nearly 3 months after Helene, survivors face bleak conditions in western North Carolina as the holidays rapidly approach

The Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda is moving forward and officials are hopeful that the facility's education center will soon be back open. They have removed buildings at the education center and will use temporary structures so they can bring the wildlife residents home and reopen. PRWC has resumed medical care at their hospital facility.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management will host a hurricane recovery town hall from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 18 at Sonshine Baptist Church on Veterans Boulevard in Port Charlotte.Residents can also sign up to attend virtually: www.tinyurl.com/TownHallDec18.

Governor DeSantis cited 2024's hurricanes for announcing three extra days off during the holidays.

Damage from Hurricane Milton is driving down citrus production from what was already expected to be a historic low in the current growing season, according to a federal report released Tuesday.

After a brutal hurricane season, Christmas tree farmers could be feeling the pinch this holiday season.